Masquerade
by C War
Summary: A Halloween Story. Something happened last Halloween, and the results of a welllaid plan are coming to light...rated M for mature content.


"Sir! All four of the serums have been injected into the new hosts except the last."

"Good, good. And the targets?"

"Located. Two in Sinnoh, one in Kanto."

"Alright, get the teams in place. Make sure that they are accurate."

"Yes, sir, Giovanni!"

"And, release my Persian from the lab tomorrow, please."

"Understood."

Giovanni licked his lips as his plan was set in motion. Halloween would be the key that unlocked his destiny, and Operation Halloween would take him there...

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"No, not again…" Ash found himself whispering as he woke to find blood on his hands. Ever since that weird bite that he had gotten from a wild Houndoom last Halloween, he would occasionally wake up to find blood on his hands, and often in or around his mouth. It was never his blood. Nor was it the blood of his friends. None of them had ever had a scratch on them that would have been from him. But he was also aware of the disturbing news reports that he always left behind him when he found the blood. The people of Sinnoh now lived in fear of him, though they didn't know that it was I him /I that they feared.

He quickly washed up, and then woke up the other two. "Brock, Dawn, time to get going!" They responded sluggishly, but they came. They, too, had hints of what was going on, and they didn't like it. Dawn was glad that they had just finished the Grand Festival (she had placed third) and she was heading home today. She liked Ash but….something seemed different, lately. Brock, on the other hand, was very worried for his longtime friend. Because he I knew /I that something was different. He hoped that returning to Kanto might change things. Pikachu didn't seem to notice, but then again, he seemed to be affected by it, too.

Pikachu, in fact, knew best of all what was going on, because unlike Ash, he wasn't in a trance during their nighttime excursions, though he had been the first few times. But by spring, he knew exactly how things were going, his small body adapting quicker than Ash's. He wished that he could tell Ash, but he knew that Ash didn't understand his speech well enough to explain.

So the four of them set off. They arrived in Solaceon around midday, and met Dawn's mother. They said their goodbyes, and the two of them headed back to Twinleaf as Brock and Ash boarded a ship bound for Vermillion Port…

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"No, please, run! AAAAH!" Misty screamed as her conscious side fled, and the new, terrifying, rising instinct took control. Her sister screamed, too, the last sound that would ever come from Lily Waterflower's throat. She would now learn what had happened to Daisy last week, and Violet the day before yesterday.

It wasn't long before Misty's thirst was satisfied, and her sanity returned. And the horror of her act struck full force. "No…why…"

" I Didn't you hate them? /I " It was her other side, her new personality.

"Well, sometimes, but they…were my sisters…my only family…" Tears ran openly down Misty's face as she closed the door to the room where the three bodies were hidden. Eventually, someone would find out. They'd miss appointments, someone would realize that the three Sensational Sisters had vanished, and an investigation would begin. Misty knew that there was no way out of it. She couldn't hide her involvement like she could with her other victims. But she'd be tied to those deaths, too, once her sisters were found.

Misty suddenly felt very alone, and her thoughts turned to the one person she knew she could never do that too. "Ash…" It seemed as if both sides of her longed to be with him. She remembered the letter that she had just gotten from him yesterday.

I Misty,

I've just finished up here in the Sinnoh League. Second Place, this time. I'll be back in Kanto within the week.

Ash. /I 

The letter also included the time and date of his arrival in Vermillion Port, midday the day after tomorrow. Misty had been less…eager…to go outside during the day lately, but she would, to go see Ash. She began to pack, making fake excuses for her sisters (which she had done for them while they were alive, too) and shutting down the gym as she left. Normally, she would have let Nurse Joy know she was leaving, but she didn't want her to be the one to find the bodies. She then headed south towards Vermillion City, to meet Ash and Brock when they arrived…

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"Ash, tell me what's going on."

"It's nothing!"

"Ash, I've known you too long for you to get away with that. And I can't help if you won't let me know what the problem is."

"I…don't know. The only thing I can think of is that Houndoom bite."

"Oh, that? You sure?" Concern was laced through Brock's voice as he tried to get an explanation out of Ash. He had him locked in their cabin on the cruise ship, and wouldn't let him out until he was satisfied with his answers.

"That's the only thing that makes any sense. That's when it started…" Tears ran down Ash's face as he told Brock what had been happening the last few months. In the heat of the summer night, Brock shivered as the story unfolded.

"Something is wrong, that's for sure. It's as if your personality is being infected…"

" I Oh, indeed it isss… /I " Brock flinched as Ash's voice changed. " I I'm quite the leech, you know. Pikachu! Thunder Fang! /I "

Before Brock could react, Pikachu sank its fangs, sharper than they used to be, into Brock's neck. The electric pulse knocked the Pewter Gym Leader unconscious, and Ash watched helplessly as his friend sank to the floor. "What did you do to him!?!"

" I The same thing that was done to you. Someone has big plans for us, you know. Big planssss… /I " The hissing became a laugh, and then a howl, as Ash lost control of his body. But this time, he remained conscious. He could only watch as his hand wrapped around the mouth of a young trainer, could only listen to his muffled screams. He could only feel as his teeth sank into the trainer's throat, tearing it out, swallowing the bloody meat. Other select pieces were bitten off and swallowed before the body was dumped overboard. The blood soaked into his fur, leaving the deck spotless. The trainer wouldn't be missed for weeks, until his mother grew suspicious at his lack of phone calls.

Or so he thought. "MONSTER!!!!"

"What is that thing!?!"

"The Pokedex doesn't know!"

"Stop it!"

Cries rang out as Wolf-Ash fled, dodging through the corridors faster than the humans could chase him. Darting down a staircase, he transformed back to normal on the way, tumbling and hitting his head on the wall.

"Hey, kid, which way did it go?"

Ash weakly pointed down the hallway, the Wolf still in charge. The pursuers chased after the empty lead as Ash stood and brushed himself off before returning to his room. Brock still lay unconscious, Pikachu standing guard over him. Ash lay down on the bed, and the Wolf retreated. Now, Ash knew what he had been doing. It was horrible, he was awe-struck, dumbfounded. And very glad that he had been wearing his pajamas during that midnight excursion. He didn't want to have to get rid of his normal clothes to hide his identity. Horrified at the thought, he lay on the bed, trying to deny what was happening to him. He stayed there until noon the next day, when the ship pulled into port.

He had already changed, hiding the pajamas under the bed in case anyone went door-to-door asking about the attack. When he stood to leave, and packed, they were gone. Brock, now conscious and walking, if mostly silent, just shrugged and belched when Ash asked him if he knew where they went. The two of them then left the ship quickly, not wanting to arouse suspicion, nor desiring to stay under watch.

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Misty looked at the ship. She was sure that was it. It was the only one coming in for two hours. "Ash…"

It was a cloudy, overcast day, which suited Misty just fine. She ditched the jacket she had planned to use to hide from the sun, and let the water run through her hair, down her face, arms, and legs, and soak her to the point that a normal person would be in danger of hypothermia. She just smiled and watched the ship dock, standing alone as she waited for the passengers to disembark.

It didn't take long to see them. Ash and Brock, hurrying off the ship as fast as they could without arousing suspicion.

"Ash…Ash!!" Misty called, grabbing his attention.

"M..Misty?" Ash asked, having a hard time recognizing her. She smiled, and he knew he was right. "What are you doing? It's raining cats and dogs out here!"

"So? I like the rain." Misty replied simply. "What's with Brock?"

"Pikachu bit me, Thunder Fang." Brock said, the first words out of his mouth since the incident. "No big deal."

Ash thought it was a big deal, but didn't bother to interject. "How've you been, Misty? How's the Gym?"

Misty paled, which was saying something, since she was pale already. "That's…something I want to talk about. Alone. Later."

"Alright. I've…got some stuff to tell you about, too," Ash admitted. Brock merely nodded, much more stoic than normal.

"Then…wanna go rent a room at the Center so that we can talk?" Misty suggested. The boys both nodded, and together the four of them, including a bristling Pikachu, headed to the Pokemon Center.

"Oh, Misty! There you are! My sister in Cerulean was worried!" Joy exclaimed.

"Oh, yeah, I was just meeting my friends down here at the docks. Do you have an open room we could use?" Misty asked.

"Uh, sure. Here's the key. It's got a shower, too." Joy handed them the key to one of the back rooms, and they headed back.

Once she had shut the door, Misty burst into tears. "Ash! I…I…I killed my sisters!"

"What?!" both Ash and Brock exclaimed.

"But…it wasn't me…not really…" She couldn't say more, as her sobs prevented further speech.

"I…can't believe it…I'm not alone…" Ash managed. Misty stopped sobbing and stared at him. "I don't know how much blood is on my hands, or my teeth, how many lives I've ended since Halloween."

"Halloween? That Golbat!" Misty shouted, her sorrow forgotten in her new tie to Ash.

"Mine was a Houndoom. It infected your personality, right? Sometimes…you're not yourself…"

"You do things that you never would otherwise. You crave something that you'd never think to put in your mouth otherwise…"

Ash grabbed Misty's hands, and stared straight into her eyes, their pain shared through their bond. Suddenly, he jerked forward, pulling Misty in, kissing her firmly on the lips.

"I know one thing, Misty. I will never, never hurt you. I would die before hurting you."

"I know, Ash, I feel the same way. I think…that it's called Love…"

They kissed again, holding each other tightly, ignoring the fact that Brock was still there.

" I Wolf! Bat! Wake up! /I "

They broke off their kiss and stared at Brock, amazed at the high pitch of his voice. And terrified by what he said.

" I Ah, Rat, you have awakened. /I "

" I It is good to see you both, Wolf, Rat. /I "

Their consciousnesses slid into the back seat as their new personas took command. Wolf and Bat kissed again, rubbing fangs as Rat slid out the door to have a little 'fun' with Nurse Joy.

In an office in Viridian City, Giovanni began to laugh, running his hand down his Persian's back. Houndoom and Golbat waited behind him, watching the humans they had attacked succumb to the sinister product of Rocket Labs. Giovanni now had three Super Soldiers, Bat, Wolf, and Rat, who would submit to their will, drawing on the strength of the humans they were joined to. Which was why he had chosen these three humans. The black haired youth had saved the world more times than he could track, with the help of his friends. Especially his girlfriend. Neither of them had ever admitted it until just before they lost their free will, but it was obvious even to Giovanni that the two loved each other. It would strengthen their squad dynamic, he reasoned, as would their close friendship with the older one, and the fact that he had always known that the younger two should be together, so he had no designs on the girl. And then there was the Pikachu. It had been a masterwork to infuse it with the Rat transfer virus, because now one of the most powerful Electric Pokemon was under his command, though his loyalty would be through Wolf. Giovanni laughed harder, watching Bat and Wolf express the emotions that Misty and Ash had never dared to show, watching Rat violate the standards Brock had always held himself to. They would make very good Administrators, and propel Team Rocket to new heights. Definitely worth any lives that were lost along the way…

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"Giovanni sir!"

"Yes, Ash?"

"The operation in Sinnoh is a success. 'Hawk' serum implanted in the young girl."

"Good, good. Dawn will make a good addition to your team, I think. A good partner for Max."

"The girl shows similar promise to Coyote's sister, Fox."

"Indeed she does, Misty. Good work getting both of those two. The three of them will be great assets in those regions. Now, go enjoy yourselves, you've earned it."

Ash and Misty licked their lips, knowing that enjoyment was the least of what they'd be doing. Brock chuckled as he saw the look that passed between them. He was very quiet, nowadays, but like the others, was glad that he was still him, if modified. He mocked the weakling that he used to be, before Cat had induced them all to his Super-Soldier program. He didn't miss his morals, either. They were dead weight that needed to be left behind.

"Anything to report?"

"The League is suspicious, but they don't have enough evidence to point fingers."

"Not even at Miss Waterflower?"

"A skeleton doesn't point fingers very well. Even three of them, especially if they're scattered."

As Rat, Brock had become an expert at covering their tracks, removing any offal that would incriminate them. Wolf, Ash, was the power-forward, direct and to the point. And Misty, the Bat, was both the aerial expert (and aquatic, from her past abilities), and tracking. The new three, Coyote, Fox, and Hawk, would be a strike-team. And Cat, of course, was coordinating everything. Team Rocket had been disbanded when Operation Halloween was enacted, except for the few who knew about the Operation. They were all that Cat needed to control the world, now. Cat laughed as the pieces continued to fall into place...


End file.
